The dynamic of marriage is radically changing.

In an increasing number of homes, husbands are no longer the heads of the households and the wives are the ones who wear the pants in the family.Deservedly so, women have sought equality with men. Along with being wives and mothers, they are CEOs, governors of states, stars of the entertainment world, and presidential candidates of this country.They have crusaded for this right, earned this privilege and now have acquired much of the status that men used to own.Two questions come to mind.Are women really happier now?And how do men feel now if they are no longer the kings of their castles?Studies say that the steady climb to be on par with men, however, has not come without consequence for the female gender.Women are now the breadwinners in 40 percent of American households, and in these homes, the divorce rate is 50 percent higher than in the traditional family house where the man makes the bigger bucks.And daddies continue to depart the homestead in record numbers.The 2014 U.S. census reported that nearly 10 million families were parented by single mothers. Despite those who do a heroic job of raising their children, the fact remains that children who grow up without a father in the house are more likely to do poorly in school and more likely to get in trouble with the law. Sixty-three percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes, and 80 percent of all rapists came from a home life with no dad present.In homes with married couples, the relationships can be atypical from previous generations. An increasing number of men live with Type A personality wives. With some exaggeration added here, husbands walk behind their spouses with slumped shoulders saying, "yes, dear" to every demand. These men live by the credo, "happy wife, then happy life," yet in reality, they may feel their manhood has been stripped away.This phenomenon is illustrated in James Thurber's short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." A husband who is dominated by his wife imagines himself to be a military hero, a famous surgeon and a notorious assassin, all to escape his humdrum and pointless life.In a recent TV talk show, a panel of women said that to choose a man worthy of their affection, he had to be a fun lover and a fixer upper. He needed to please her without her asking. He should also clean, change diapers and cook romantic candlelight dinners.Except for the handyman bit, doesn't this describe what a man used to expect from his wife?Even if this "perfect man" meets these requirements, one woman said, "the guy who takes out the garbage in my house can never be my soul mate."So how are women coping with their jumps from housewives to life managers?A recent survey reveals that more than one-third of American women meet the criteria for some form of mental illness created by daily stresses and anxieties. In addition, 4.5 million women in this country are heavy alcohol and drug users, making up the fastest-growing segment of substance abusers in our population.And what about the evolution of manhood?"Today's men are more like their mothers than their fathers," says Martin Daubney, editor of lad magazine Loaded. Daubney also claims that young women want their men to be more feminine. Long gone are their desires for the masculine, coldhearted John Wayne and Clint Eastwood types.Actress Katharine Hepburn was a trendsetter for the modern woman."I have not lived as a woman," she said. "I have lived like a man. I've done just what I damn well wanted to do and made enough money to support myself and I ain't afraid of living alone."The character Walter Mitty gets some empathy from the modern man.At the end of Thurber's story, as he waits in the car while his wife is in the beauty parlor, Mitty fantasizes a scene in which he stands proudly, holding his chin up high, but his mind is filled with disdain. He's about to be shot by a firing squad.Rich Strack can be reached at

katehep11@gmail.com